Lawmakers seek to ban animal abusers from owning pets

A dog sits alone in a rusted enclosure at an animal shelter in this file photo. Courtesy of Live In Freedom & Equality

Lawmakers are moving to close a loophole that fails to stop animal abusers from keeping or adopting new pets even after serious cruelty cases.

Under proposed amendments to the Animal Protection Act, submitted recently by Rep. Han Zee-a and nine other legislators of the main opposition People Power Party, animal abusers would be restricted from keeping their animals or adopting new ones for a certain period.

“Under the current law, there are provisions to punish those who abuse animals. However, institutional measures to restrict abusers from keeping animals again are not sufficient, and concerns about repeated abuse have been raised,” the lawmakers said in the proposal.

Under the bill, courts would be given authority to impose an animal keeping ban when sentencing abusers, preventing them from owning or adopting pets for a set period.

Animal rights activists have long called for Korea to follow other countries such as Germany and Britain in barring abusers from owning or keeping animals, not just punishing cruelty.

The bill also calls for strengthening protections for animals before a conviction is finalized. Authorities would be able to swiftly remove animals from suspected abusers and place them in designated shelters on a temporary basis.

“This is intended to eradicate animal cruelty and substantially protect the life and safety of animals by streamlining penalties for violating breeding ban obligations and restrictions on adopting animals to people with a history of animal abuse, while also making the operation of animal shelter centers mandatory,” the lawmakers noted.